Highlights from Coffee’s Illustrious History

Coffee has played a role in revolutions. Coffee has inspired poets, architects and filmmakers. The illustrious history of coffee and the culture around it is not purely a history of caffeine-based inspiration, however.

Also, a distant cousin of founding father and first president of the United States, George Washington stands as an example of the American entrepreneurial spirit. His name – George C. Washington. He started the country’s first instant coffee company.

His determination led him to establish the first commercial instant coffee process with his company, the G. Washington Coffee Refining Company of Morris Plains, New Jersey. During World War I the company’s entire output was requisitioned by the US Army to provide the soldiers with their “cup of George” in the valiant effort to defend Europe. His company maintained its dominance in the coffee market for several decades.

Let’s not make too big a deal of it, but that’s kind of fun, isn’t it?

Check out this nice infographic from National Geographic for a little more on coffee’s role in the life of American history.